They may agree with me, but their itemization doesn't seem to be working as it should.
Ideally, we could tier stats into categories first.
Primary Stats: STR, VIT, DEX, AGI, INT, MND, PIE
Secondary Stats: +Attack, +Accuracy, +Magic Accuracy, +Magic Potency, +Block Chance, +Block Value, +Evasion, +HP, +MP
Assuming you design gear for PLD, you can go one of several routes.
1) Design the gear to have one of the two "main" PLD stats and a tank stat, and then secondary stats to further help.
Examples:
Duelle's Breastplate of Taruness
+30 STR +45 VIT
+20 Accuracy +17 Block Rating
Duelle's Gauntlets of Taruness
+25 MND +30 DEX
+40 Block Value +70 HP
2) Alter the "main" stats in a way that they account for all the vital aspects of the tank class in question, then design the gear around it.
Patch Notes:
Paladin
- STR now also increases shield block chance, shield block rating, weapon damage.
- MND now also increases defense, evasion, weapon accuracy, and increases HP.
Example:
Duelle's Breastplate of Taruness
+40 STR +65 MND
3) Focus on the "main" stats, and use secondary stats to compensate.
Example:
Duelle's Breastplate of Taruness
+30 STR +25 MND
+200 HP +75 Accuracy
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There's probably several other approaches I haven't touched, including the one I know everyone here would oppose for the sake of continuing to hate on games like WoW, which would be make STR and VIT the main stats on all tank gear and then have the classes individually scale from those stats in their own way (STR counting towards shield block rating for warriors, as opposed to death knights whose parry rating scaled from STR, for example).
The bottom line is that itemization may not be exactly helping PLD's case, and IMO that would need to change.